


Count On Me Like One, Two, Three

by MacksDramaticShenanigans



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Broken Bones, Fluff, Human Disaster Bucky Barnes, Human Disaster Clint Barton, M/M, Piggyback Rides, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Sweet Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 08:05:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18426462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacksDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/MacksDramaticShenanigans
Summary: “I also need to get one of those scooter things,” Bucky adds. “That’s gotta be better than these damn crutches.”Steve’s eyes drop down to the crutches again, and he frowns. “Crutches are never comfortable,” he agrees, shaking his head. “You want a piggyback ride?” He asks, grinning as he laughs at his own joke.Bucky ducks his head and laughs along, a good-natured smile settling over his lips. “Yeah, that would be real nice, wouldn’t it?” He says, not thinking anything of it.When he looks back up, however, Steve’s already in the process of shrugging his backpack off of his shoulders. The smile melts off of Bucky’s face and his brows furrow together. Was that… a serious offer?





	Count On Me Like One, Two, Three

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another lil college au for y’all! These really are fun to write! Haha. (Let’s just hope the fun I had writing this whole thing today instead of studying for the test I had was worth it lmaoo)
> 
> Shoutout to the girl I saw crutching on campus and the guy that jokingly offered to give her a piggyback ride, thus birthing this fic idea. Thanks to college campuses and the people there for being excellent fic idea generators, the true MVP’s out here. 
> 
> I’m also very excited to announce that this is my first official fill for the Bucky Barnes Bingo! This will fill the square “schmoop” bc it’s p much just mindless schmoopy boys being cute together. 
> 
> Thank you to the fabulous [Faustess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustess/pseuds/Faustess) for betaing this for me! You’re a peach! <3
> 
> The title comes from [Count On Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmR0fvLpPFk) by Bruno Mars. I honestly couldn’t find anything else and I really wanted to post lol so I just went with this one. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

Bucky likes to pride himself on the fact that in all twenty-one years of his life he has never broken a bone in his body. Or, that fact is something he  _ liked _ to pride himself on, up until the moment he catapulted himself over a brick wall at the park in his pathetic attempt to parkour, thanks to Clint’s encouragement. And by encouragement, Bucky means his constant stream of shit talking. He can still hear the crack of his tibia echoing in his ears. 

Needless to say, breaking a bone has never been part of any of Bucky’s plans— not his life plans, not his college plans, none of them. But there he is, his left leg covered in a too-bright blue plaster, tips of his toes in a constant state of frozenness thanks to the way they poke out the front of the cast.

Serves him right for screwing around with Clint, though. He really should have known things weren’t likely to end well. When have they ever ended well when it comes to ideas from Clint, the very definition of human disaster? That man has broken more bones than there even are in the human body, Bucky thinks. Except, of course, this time he didn’t break a single one. The most accident prone man in the world, hell in the universe probably, who’s broken his nose before just by  _ sneezing too hard _ , and he didn’t break a single goddamn bone. Or even get a scrape— that  _ fucker _ . 

So, thanks to Clint’s brilliant parkour antics and Bucky’s refusal to back down from a challenge, he’s now stuck hopping around campus with a bulky cast and a shitty pair of crutches that are starting to hurt his armpits.

“I hate you,” Bucky grumbles to Clint, who’s strolling along at his side. He was in the middle of some elaborate explanation of what he got up to on his visit home over the weekend, gesticulating so wildly he’s almost smacks Bucky right in the face a few times. 

Clint cuts himself off and frowns at Bucky. “Because I stepped on Lucky’s tail? Because I said it was an accident, man. I told you I didn’t see him there—” 

“No,” Bucky replies, shaking his head. “Though I’m sure Lucky didn’t appreciate his injury at your hands,” he says pointedly, and makes sure he smacks the crutches against the ground a little more aggressively so Clint gets his point. “You know what you did.” 

Clint must, because he just snorts and reaches over to pat Bucky’s shoulder. “Hey, I tried to tell you you weren’t gonna make it. Not my fault you didn’t listen. And it’s not my fault you don’t have the same skill set as me, either.” Clint shrugs like the whole thing’s no big deal. 

“You fell off the wall too,” Bucky points out. 

“Yeah, but I did it gracefully and didn’t break anything,” Clint shoots back, a lopsided grin covering his face. 

It’s Bucky’s turn to snort. “Gracefully?” He repeats. “Since when is falling on your face graceful?”

“When it doesn’t break anything it is,” Clint replies gleefully. Having been the one to come out of one of his ideas unscathed is new territory for Clint, and it’s clear that he’s having far too good a time with it. 

“You suck,” Bucky says.

Clint just laughs.

Bucky’s about to tell him to go ahead, laugh it up now because karma will most certainly come back to bite him in the ass, but before he can they’re interrupted by none other than one adorably smiley Steve Rogers walking towards them. One of his friends, Sam, Bucky thinks, is right next to him, but Bucky’s eyes are only on Steve, who’s started to wave.

“Hey Bucky,” Steve says as he and Sam come to a stop in front of Bucky and Clint. His head tilts to the side a little, that sweet smile making the crinkles at the corners of his eyes more prominent. “You’re on crutches,” he comments, pressing his lips together in a frown as his eyes drop to the cast. 

“Hi Steve,” Bucky responds. He sighs softly and nods. “Yep,” he confirms. “Broke my leg thanks to this one.” He jerks his thumb in Clint’s direction.

Clint scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Stop telling everyone it was my fault that  _ you _ fell off—”

Bucky’s hand shoots out to cover Clint’s mouth before Clint can expose him and his utter idiocy in front of Cute Steve. He and Steve are merely academic acquaintances; simply two people that just so happen to keep ending up in the same classes and working together on projects, but that hasn’t stopped Bucky from forming a little bit of a crush on Steve. Their relationship seems to be limited to the classroom, unfortunately, but it’s one that Bucky is certainly interested in furthering. He wants to be friends with Steve, and not just in class. And, y’know, he certainly would be interested in being  _ more than _ friends with him too, should that become an option. Steve’s cute and sweet, and he’s everything Bucky could ever want in a partner, okay? Sue him. 

Clints licks Bucky’s palm, causing Bucky’s hand to jerk away, a disgusted look twisting up his face. “Eugh,” he grumbles, wiping his palm against the side of his jeans. He shoots Clint a glare.

Steve’s sympathetic look turns into an amused one, and he chuckles quietly at Bucky and Clint’s antics. “Looks like you need to get some better friends then,” he jokes. There’s an impish twinkle in his eyes, and the corners of his lips pull up into a tiny hint of a smirk. It’s a good look on him. A  _ really _ good look.

Clint squawks indignantly, and Bucky actually laughs out loud. “You’re telling me,” he responds, grinning. “I also need to get one of those scooter things,” he adds. “That’s gotta be better than these damn crutches.” 

Steve’s eyes drop down to the crutches again, and he frowns. “Crutches are never comfortable,” he agrees, shaking his head. “You want a piggyback ride?” He asks, grinning as he laughs at his own joke. 

Bucky ducks his head and laughs along, a good-natured smile settling over his lips. “Yeah, that would be real nice, wouldn’t it?” He says, not thinking anything of it.

When he looks back up, however, Steve’s already in the process of shrugging his backpack off of his shoulders. The smile melts off of Bucky’s face and his brows furrow together. Was that… a serious offer? Bucky certainly hadn’t thought so. He definitely interpreted it as a joke, not a real proposal.

“Hold this, would you?” Steve asks, thrusting the backpack out for Sam to take. He’s got a pleading look in his eyes and a partial puppy dog face going on.

Sam narrows his eyes at Steve, and it seems like they have some sort of silent conversation if the many facial expressions they each take on mean anything. Steve’s puppy dog face only intensifies the longer it goes on, and eventually Sam huffs out a sigh and takes the backpack. “You owe me for this, Rogers,” he warns, pointing a finger at Steve. 

“I do,” Steve replies earnestly, nodding at Sam. He gives him one more thankful smile before turning back towards Bucky. He takes a few steps towards him, then spins on his heel and bends at his knees a little, holding his hands out behind him— an invitation for Bucky to hop onto his back.

Bucky stares stupidly at Steve’s broad back.

Steve glances over his shoulder at Bucky and jerks his head in a  _ come on _ kind of motion. “Hop on,” he says and wiggles his fingers.

Bucky blinks. “Are you serious?” He asks in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Steve replies with a shrug. “Why not?” 

Bucky doesn’t really have a response to that, because Steve’s kind of got a point. Why not jump onto the really fucking nice back of the man you’ve been crushing on for months on end now? Why not accept his incredibly sweet offer to help Bucky’s crippled ass? Why not spend some quality time outside of class with him like Bucky’s always wanted to do? The only reason he can think of rejecting the offer is because it might look weird to everyone else, but honestly? Fuck what everyone else thinks. 

He glances around campus anyways, though, checking to see if they’re making any kind of a spectacle with this. But campus is mostly empty, and the few stragglers left are too invested in their phones to even notice them. 

“Um, okay,” Bucky says, crutching forward to close the last of the distance between Steve and himself to make the transition from foot to back easier. “Yeah, okay.” 

Pulling the crutches out from under his arms, Bucky holds them in one hand and shifts his weight fully onto his right foot. He wobbles a bit as he tries to find his new equilibrium and has to reach out to grab onto Steve’s shoulder to steady himself. He’s not sure how well that helps, though. Bucky can feel Steve’s muscles through his shirt, and that just seems to make his knees even shakier. It’s a really fucking nice shoulder, okay?

“Gimme those,” Clint says, holding his hand out for the crutches. “I’ll hold them for you.” 

“Thanks,” Bucky says and passes them over. 

Once the crutches are gone, Bucky places his other hand on Steve’s other shoulder and pauses. “Uh, not sure how this is gonna work…” he says, biting down on his lip as he tries to figure out how he’s supposed to get onto Steve’s back with only one working leg. 

“Here,” Steve starts, “I’ll get lower so it’s easier for you to get on.” With that he squats even lower, and good lord, in the process, pushes his ass, covered in those ridiculously tight jeans, out even further. He’s not even doing it on purpose, but it’s driving Bucky crazy.

Bucky swallows and tears his eyes away from Steve’s ass. He really doesn't need to pop a boner right now when he’s about to be pressed all up against Steve’s back.

To the side, he hears Clint snickering quietly under his breath, and he shoots him another glare. Thankfully, it shuts Clint up, but it doesn’t wipe that smug look off of his face.

It takes a few attempts, but Bucky’s finally able to shuffle forward enough and climb onto Steve’s back in a way that’s comfortable for them both. He leans forward so he’s not dragging Steve backwards and curls his arms loosely around Steve’s neck, grasping his wrist in the front to brace himself. 

Steve’s hands are big and they’re warm where they come up to grip beneath Bucky’s thighs, securing him into place. Despite the fact that it’s just that, for  _ security _ reasons, Bucky can’t ignore how nice it feels to have Steve touching him there. It nearly sends his mind to places it shouldn’t, but he’s able to control it. And by ‘control it,’ he means store those thoughts away for much later when he’s alone. 

Bucky comes back to the present moment just as Steve tips his head back into Bucky’s shoulder and tilts his chin to the side so he can catch Bucky’s eyes. Their faces are  _ so close _ like this, close enough that Bucky can make out little flecks of green in the blue of Steve’s eyes. He almost loses his breath at the startling realization that all he would need to do to kiss Steve is turn his head as well. He pointedly  _ doesn’t _ do this, no matter how much he would love to. Instead glances out of his peripheral to meet Steve’s gaze. 

“You ready?” Steve asks, that cute little grin coming back to his face.

Bucky can’t help the way his own lips quirk up, and he nods. “Ready,” he confirms. 

“Alright, where to?” 

It’s then that Bucky realizes that he and Clint had just gotten out of their last class of the day and were on their way home. Shit. 

“Shit,” Bucky says. “I was heading home, actually.” 

“Oh,” Steve responds, “that’s not a problem. I’m done on campus, too. Where do you live?” 

“Hey, wait, no, I can’t make you walk me all the way home like this,” Bucky protests, starting to squirm a little on Steve’s back like he’s trying to get down. Steve only tightens his grip on Bucky’s thighs. 

“Nah, it’s alright,” Steve responds, totally nonchalant. “I don’t mind at all, Buck. Just tell me where you live.”

Bucky’s hesitant again, but it really does seem like it’s not a big deal to Steve, so he rattles off his and Clint’s address, mentioning that it’s part of the apartments just off of campus, so hopefully it won’t be too far of a walk. 

“No way!” Steve exclaims, laughing. “Sam and I live there too!” 

Bucky’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Really?” He asks in disbelief. “Well that makes this a lot easier then,” he laughs.

“It sure does,” Steve agrees.

“Since we all live in the same place, why don’t Sam and I go on ahead and we’ll meet you two there?” Clint suggests, hoisting the crutches up as he prepares to start walking again.

He and Sam share a look, and Sam nods in agreement. “Sounds good to me,” he says. 

“That’s cool with me, too,” Steve replies. He tips his head back again. “Buck?” 

That stupid nickname again has Bucky’s stomach in butterflies, distracting him from fully processing the question. “Yeah that’s— wait,” he says, his mind catching up to his mouth. “What if I need my crutches, though?” 

Steve makes a noise and shakes his head. “Nah, don’t worry, I gotcha,” he says. “I can handle the whole way home.” 

And Bucky believes him. Taking a look at the way the fabric over Steve’s biceps seems to be struggling to stay together, Bucky has no doubt that Steve will be able to carry him the whole way home. 

“Alright,” Bucky says, nodding at Clint and Sam. “Go on ahead then. Leave us slowpokes to our own devices,” he jokes. He knows them being potentially slower isn’t the reason Clint suggested he and Sam go ahead. Bucky  _ knows _ it’s because Clint’s trying to be a good friend and give him some alone time with Steve. He appreciates that a lot, he really does, and he makes a mental note to not be so hard on Clint about his injury anymore, even if he is only partially joking when he blames him.

“See ya later!” Sam calls, throwing a hand up in a wave. 

Clint sends the pair of them his own wave as well, and then he and Sam are off. 

“Man, I can’t believe we’ve lived in the same apartment complex all this time and we didn’t even know it,” Steve says as he starts walking as well, towards the ramp instead of the stairs though. 

Bucky thinks that’s probably a smart idea. Steve may be strong as hell, but even for him stairs with a fully grown man on his back seems like another disaster waiting to happen, and Bucky would prefer not to break his other leg or either of his arms as well. “I can’t either,” he agrees. “First the same classes, now the same apartments. You stalking me or something?” He teases. 

Steve chuckles as well, and because Bucky’s behind him he misses the soft pink hue that colors Steve’s cheeks. “Must be,” Steve jokes back. “But hey, now that I know where you live I can come bother you all the time to help me with Professor Fury’s assignments,” he adds. 

It’s another joke, Bucky can tell, but it’s something he actually wouldn’t mind. Having Steve over, no matter the reason, sounds like a good time in Bucky’s opinion. “Well you’re more than welcome to drop by whenever,” Bucky replies, keeping his tone light enough that Steve could take it as another joking response or as a serious offer if he wanted to.

 

The walk home is  _ nice _ . Conversation flows easily between the two of them, starting with the obligatory school talk, but quickly moving towards more personal topics. Steve doesn’t break a sweat the entire way home, and he manages to keep up his conversation with Bucky without sounding winded at all. It’s fucking impressive, is what it is, and Bucky finds himself wondering just how hard Steve has to work to actually tire himself out. 

When they finally come to a stop in front of Bucky’s apartment, Bucky’s a little sad that it means this has to end. Talking to Steve is so natural, it feels so easy. Almost like they’ve known each other for ages, even though this is the first  _ real _ conversation they’ve had outside of class. Bucky hopes that this won’t be the last time it happens, especially now that they know they live close.

“I believe this is you,” Steve sighs, sounding a little forlorn himself. 

“It is,” Bucky confirms, nodding. He loosens his grip around Steve’s neck and leans back a little, ready to slide off of Steve’s back one he lets go of his thighs. Bucky will miss that. He hopes that won’t be the last time Steve touches him there, either. 

Steve relents and allows Bucky to return to the ground, but not without keeping a steadying hand on his arm to make sure he doesn’t topple over as he gets used to standing on one leg again. 

“Thanks,” Bucky says, then reaches into his pocket for his key. It takes a couple of tries to get the key into the lock— it always does, no matter if Bucky’s drunk or sober— but he’s finally able to turn it and the door clicks open. Bucky pushes it a little, but doesn’t go inside quite yet. Instead he turns back towards Steve. 

“Thanks again for doing that,” he tells him earnestly. “I really appreciate it. It was a really sweet thing to do.” Bucky sends Steve a grateful smile.

“Of course,” Steve replies, a genuine look crossing his face. “Anytime, Buck,” he adds. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever given you my number… Let me do that, y’know, so you can contact me for any other piggyback needs you may have.” There’s a shy smile pulling at Steve’s lips and he’s twisting his fingers together in front of him— what must be a nervous habit. It’s cute. Bucky’s endeared. 

He’s also mentally doing acrobats because Steve’s going to give him his number! He’s going to have Cute Steve’s phone number in his phone so he can talk to him even if they’re not in class! 

“Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea,” Bucky replies, trying to keep his cool on the outside. He can’t help the grin that curls onto his lips though. That’s impossible to hold back, no matter how hard he tries. He goes to reach for his phone where it’s tucked away in his back pocket, except all he’s met with is fabric. Shit. His phone’s in his backpack, which Clint has. “Shit,” he mumbles. “I don’t have my phone.” 

Steve’s face falls for about half a second before he lights up again. He holds up a finger then reaches into the pocket of his jacket and fishes out a pen. He lifts it triumphantly and grins at Bucky. “Gimme your hand,” he requests.

Bucky quirks an eyebrow at the pen, but he holds out his hand for Steve anyway.

Steve cradles Bucky’s hand in his own and clicks the pen open, then scribbles down a series of seven digits onto the skin. His number. Oh my god. 

It’s a total chick flick cliche, but Bucky loves it anyway. He chuckles a bit and reads over the number once Steve finishes, then holds his hand close to his heart. “I’ll be sure to write this down so it doesn’t wash off,” he assures with another laugh. 

Steve grins. “Good, I’m expecting a message as soon as you get your phone back,” he replies. 

It’s something Bucky fully intends to follow through on. 

“Well, thanks again for walking me home,” Bucky says. He doesn’t want this to end, not yet, but it seems like they’ve exhausted all doorway conversations, and he really should let Steve get home. He probably has a million other things to be doing, and Bucky doesn’t want to keep him from that. 

“Like I said,” Steve starts, taking a small step forward. “Anytime, Bucky.” Then he quickly ducks in to press a kiss to Bucky’s cheek, his own taking on a pretty rosy pink color. He sends Bucky another shy smile and lifts his hand in a wave before he turns on his heels and starts to walk towards his own apartment. 

Bucky stands in his doorway for a moment, stunned. He hadn’t expected that. It was nice, though. Really nice. A dopey little smile curls onto his lips and he reaches up to dazedly touch where Steve’s lips had been only seconds ago. 

And suddenly just having Steve’s number isn’t enough. And neither was the short amount of time they just spent together. Call him greedy, but Bucky wants more. And he doesn’t want this to be a one off thing, either. 

So he does what anyone would do. He takes a step forward and calls for Steve. Except, he’s a fucking idiot who forgot that he only currently has one working leg and the other one can’t sustain any weight yet.

A sharp jolt of pain shoots up his leg and his eyes go wide as his body crumples from beneath him. Oh fuck, he’s going down. He’s going down and Steve’s already turned back around to see why Bucky called him and now he’s going to see Bucky make a complete and utter ass of himself. Oh god, this is so embarrassing. 

But before his body can hit the ground, there’s an arm curling around his waist, catching him from face planting in the sidewalk. Bucky’s arm flies up to grip tightly at Steve’s neck, holding himself up.

“Woah,” Steve says, helping Bucky up and steadying him. “Are you okay?” 

Bucky squeezes his eyes shut and drops his head against Steve’s shoulder. His leg’s still throbbing a bit, but he’s more embarrassed than anything else. “Shit, yeah, I’m fine,” he replies. “Just bruised my ego a little bit.”

Steve laughs, but it isn’t unkind. “There a reason you risked your ego like that?” He asks. 

Bucky can feel his cheeks warming, knows he’s probably well on his way to red. “I, uh, forgot about my leg,” he laughs. “I was trying to get your attention before you left completely. But, uh, I was going to ask you if you wanted to get coffee some time. Or something like that. Y’know, as a thank you for helping me home and all.” 

It’s probably the most awkward Bucky’s ever been in asking someone out. He isn’t quite sure if he would have been any smoother, though, had he not just embarrassed himself. Steve just has that kind of effect on him, he thinks. 

Steve hasn’t let go of him yet. His hand is still resting against Bucky’s hip, and it feels like it belongs there. He lifts an eyebrow at Bucky. “Just as a thank you?” He questions. 

Bucky nods, but then no. He doesn’t want it to  _ just _ be a thank you. “As a thank you  _ date _ ,” he corrects, biting down on his lip nervously. His eyes flicker up to meet Steve’s again, and his heart skips a beat in his chest as he watches the prettiest smile unfold across Steve’s face. 

Steve’s absolutely beaming. If Bucky knew any better, he’d say it almost looks like Christmas came early for Steve. His eyes are nearly closed from the force of his smile, lips stretched wide. “I’d love that,” he tells Bucky.

And then Steve’s pulling Bucky closer by the waist and leaning in again. But this time, instead of catching Bucky’s cheek, Steve’s lips meet the corner of Bucky’s. It’s not quite a real kiss, and it’s over nearly as quickly as it began, but it’s the promise of one to come. The prelude to something wonderful.

“When you get your phone back, text me. We’ll make plans,” Steve says, squeezing Bucky’s hip gently before letting go. He takes a few backtracking steps, that cute grin still on his face. “I’ll see you ‘round, Buck,” he says. 

“Bye, Steve,” Bucky responds. He probably looks like some lovesick fool as he stands in his doorway, watching as Steve grows smaller and smaller the further down the sidewalk he gets, but he just can’t help it. 

It isn’t until Clint waves a hand in front of Bucky’s face that Bucky snaps out of his reverie.

“Hey, lovebird, anyone home in there?” Clint asks, closing his hand into a fist which he moves closer to Bucky’s forehead, as if he’s about to knock on it like a door. 

Bucky feels his blush return full force, and he swats Clint’s hand away. “Shut up,” he mumbles.

“So, how’d it go with Prince Charming, then?” Clint asks, pushing past Bucky to head inside. 

A dreamy sort of sigh slips past Bucky’s lips and he turns to follow Clint inside. “Have I thanked you yet for making me try parkour?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think with a kudos and a comment! 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Come say [hi](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/brooklynbabybucky)! :)
> 
> And come check out this cool [discord](https://discord.gg/8gybKrj) for marvel content creators!! You can find more information [here](https://marvelcreatorsnetwork.tumblr.com/) or feel free to ask about it in the comments!! :)


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